School concerts should come with a health warning
Posted on 29. Apr, 2009 by PR Mum in News
28 April 2009
The Easter school holiday was celebrated with an end of term concert. The theme was the four seasons and I took the morning off work to watch the big rotter dance around the stage as a giant leaf. She was a brilliant leaf and her best friend was a tree. All the parents looked on proudly and the cameras were flashing. All was going well until a boy dressed in a wetsuit to represent summer went into meltdown waiting for his big moment, turned bright red and burst into tears. He was ushered off stage by the teacher and soon returned to his normal colour. His mum was in the row in front and was looking increasingly stressed as the event unfolded. School concerts can play havoc with your health. They make your heart burst with pride (even when your child is dressed as a giant leaf), but can also raise your blood pressure when things go wrong (like the red-faced boy). But most of all, they are a great source of entertainment, so I was relieved to hear the news that a laugh a day reduces stress and keeps heart disease at bay.
The two-week Easter holiday was filled with play dates at the park, trips to the beach and swimming. The big rotter also made her own vegetable patch at Grandma’s house and sowed broad beans, onions and artichokes. With all these activities, I was surprised to read the news that children are not getting enough exercise outside of school time. A survey, conducted by the Department of Health, found that almost half of children watched TV or played non-active video games before school and only a fifth did something active after dinner. We are definitely guilty of morning TV – it’s the only way I get us all washed, dressed, fed and out of the door feeling sane. On the other hand, they certainly don’t sit like couch potatoes the entire time. It may not be formal exercise, but they’re always rushing around the house, wielding swords, or jumping off the sofa onto surf boards made from pillows. This counts as exercise to me!
In fact, the big rotter got a Nintendogs computer game for Christmas, but much prefers chasing the little rotter around the house. In fact, she’s so disinterested, her Nintendog (aptly named Lucky) is permanently parched, starving and has fleas. Clearly not so lucky to be living in our house…
